Vasily 2 the Dark (reigned 1415-1462) is a Moscow prince who made a significant contribution to strengthening his principality and establishing it as a “gatherer of Russian lands.” This was a prominent representative of the last civil strife in the Russian state, who managed to emerge victorious in this bloody battle. In this article we will look at the life path of this person, find out why Vasily 2 received the nickname “Dark”, and also why victory was on the side of Vasily 2.
Vasily the Second “Dark” was born in 1415 in Moscow. Vasily's mother was the influential Lithuanian princess Sofya Vitovtovna, who was the regent of the young prince. However, not everyone in the Russian state wanted to recognize the new ruler. Vasily's uncle, the Galich prince Yuri, relying on the will of Dmitry Donskoy, declared his right to the Moscow throne. Yuri’s sons, Dmitry Kosoy and Vasily Shemyaka, also had the right to the grand ducal title. For a long time, Yuri was afraid to directly declare his right to the throne, since regent Sophia relied on her powerful father, the Lithuanian ruler Vytautas. However, after his death in 1430, Yuri went to the Horde, wanting to challenge his 15-year-old nephew for the right to the throne. But with the support of the influential boyar Ivan Vsevolozhsky, Vasily received the khan's label for reign. Boyar Vsevolozhsky intended to give his daughter to Vasily and thereby gain a strong place near the throne, but Vasily’s mother had other plans. She prophesied Princess Marya Yaroslavna as Vasily’s wife, so she considered this marriage more profitable.
This event became the beginning of a long civil strife in the Russian state. On the way home, Yuri's sons plundered Yaroslavl, Vasily's possession. In 1433, the blitz of the Sergius-Troitsky Monastery clashed between the armies of Vasily and Yuryevich. Vasily was defeated and captured, and Yuri ascended the throne. Dmitry and Vasily Yuryevich tried to persuade him to commit suicide with his nephew, but their father, rightly deciding that this act would turn the majority of his subjects against him, decided to do the opposite - he presented Vasily with rich gifts and sent him to reign in Kolomna. However, this gesture of goodwill did not bring any visible results. On the contrary, people began to flock to Kolomna, dissatisfied with Yuri’s usurpation. Moscow was empty, and Kolomna instantly turned into a new capital. Soon the new prince realizes that the local population does not want to see him as a prince and returns the Moscow throne to Vasily.
However, his sons, Vasily Kosoy and Dmitry Shemyaka, do not agree with this decision. Gathering an army, in 1434 they defeated Vasily’s army near Rostov and captured Moscow. Soon Yuri dies, and before his death he bequeaths Moscow to his son Vasily Kosoy.
Vasily's brothers, Dmitry Shemyaka and Dmitry Krasny did not recognize the new ruler and entered into an alliance with Vasily the Dark. When the united troops of the princes approached, Vasily disappeared, taking the treasury with him. Having gathered a new army in Novgorod, Vasily Kosoy gave battle to Yuri near the Kotorosl River and was defeated. Vasily Kosoy requested a truce, but soon violated it himself, speaking at the position of Vasily II in Rostov. In 1436, a battle took place on the Cherek River, as a result of which Vasily Kosoy was defeated and captured. The prisoner was taken to Moscow, where he was blinded. His brother Dmitry, who was in captivity in Kolomna, was released by order of Vasily and endowed with the lands of his rebellious brother.
However, with the defeat of Vasily Kosoy, feudal strife in the Russian state did not stop. In 1439, the Kazan Khan Ulu-Mukhammed approached Moscow. Vasily II, Prince of Moscow, was unable to organize a successful defense of the capital and was forced to leave Moscow, while his ally, Dmitry Shemyaka, refused to come to the aid of his brother. This was the start of a new feudal war.
Vasily marched against them and suffered an absolute disaster at Suzdal and was captured. The Tatars set a huge ransom of 25,000 rubles for Vasily. Sophia, the prince's mother, was forced to introduce new taxes in the capital in order to collect the required ransom. Also, a number of cities in the Volga region were given to the Tatars for plunder, on the site of which the Kasimov kingdom arose, where the sons of Ulu-Muhammad ruled.
After gaining freedom, Vasily went to the Sergius Trinity Monastery to pray for his salvation. At the same moment, Dmitry Shemyaka treacherously captured Moscow, and then ordered Vasily to be brought to him. He blinded him just as the Moscow prince blinded his brother. This is the answer to the question why Vasily the Dark received such a nickname. However, Shemyaka could not reign calmly on the grand-ducal throne, since the capital’s nobility did not want to see him as their ruler. Many nobles fled to neighboring Lithuania, intending to wait until Vasily regained the throne.
Under these conditions, Shemyaka decided to appease his cousin, gave him Vologda as his possession and sent him rich gifts. However, Vasily decided not to trust his treacherous brother. Having secured the support of the Tver prince, as well as the Lithuanians, the prince opposed Shemyaka. Frightened by this army, the usurper fled to Kargopol in 1447. Vasily again took the grand-ducal throne and freed his wife from captivity and returned his mother, who had been sent into exile.
The newly created prince decided to put an end to the problem of succession to the throne once and for all. He enlisted the support of Metropolitan Jonah, who at the council of bishops condemned the “sedition of the Yuryevichs” and ordered to pursue Shemyaka wherever possible. Ultimately, Dmitry was overtaken in Novgorod and poisoned. After the death of Shemyaka, Vasily the Dark dealt with his allies, taking away their allotments and annexing them to Moscow. Novgorod was forced to pay 8,500 rubles as compensation.
With the accession of Vasily to the Moscow throne and the defeat of Shemyaka, the last feudal war in Russia and one of the last in Europe ended. Here it is important to determine why Vasily the Dark won. There are several reasons for this.
Firstly, Shemyaka’s cruelty and unscrupulousness did not correspond to Christian norms, which were of great importance in that era. The Dark One was perceived as a martyr, and Shemyaka as an apostate and fratricide. In addition, the nobility and ordinary people perceived Vasily as a guarantor of stability and unity of the state.
Secondly, Vasily was able to eliminate the specific separatism of the boyars. He confiscated the land holdings of the boyars who supported the rebellious princes. The boyars extremely valued their lands, so such a policy forced them to remain loyal to the grand ducal throne.
Thirdly, Vasily was able to strengthen the authority of the Orthodox Church and gain its support. This was facilitated by the fact that in 1439 the Byzantine patriarch signed a union with the Catholic Church. The Russian Orthodox Church rejected this document because it did not want to become dependent on the Pope. As a result, the metropolitan in Rus' began to be elected through a council of bishops, and not by decree of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Subsequently, Moscow became associated with the “Third Rome,” a bastion of genuine Orthodoxy. And the prince began to be perceived as a conductor of this idea to the broad masses. The first independent metropolitan in Rus' was Jonah, who supported Vasily in the fight against the rebels.
This determined the victory of Vasily the Dark in the civil strife and allowed him to continue strengthening the Moscow principality, begun by his ancestors. During the reign of Vasily the Dark, almost all the surrounding lands were annexed to Moscow (in 1454 - Mozhaisk, in 1456 - Uglich and others). Influence in the subordinate Yaroslavl and Vyatka principalities was strengthened. In the annexed fiefs, Moscow proteges were appointed, the Grand Duke's seal was installed, and coins of Vasily the Dark were minted.
The process of annexing the Novgorod Republic to Moscow began. After the defeat of Shemyaka and his Novgorod supporters, the Yazhelbitsky Peace Treaty was signed between the veche and Vasily II, according to which the independence of the Novgorod Republic was greatly limited. Now Novgorod could not conduct an independent foreign policy and issue its own laws, and the seals of Novgorod officials were replaced by the seal of the Moscow prince.
At the same time, Vasily resolved the issue of succession to the throne. His son Ivan was declared co-ruler of Vasily and direct heir to the Moscow throne. Thus, Vasily approved the direct order of succession to the throne “from father to son.”
As for foreign policy, two directions can be distinguished. The first is relations with Lithuania. In 1449, the Perpetual Peace was concluded with Lithuania, as a result of which both states renounced mutual territorial claims and pledged not to support internal political opponents. As for relations with the Horde, things were not so rosy. In the period from 1449 to 1459, the Horde repeatedly attacked Russian lands and plundered cities. The Russians managed to resist the attacks of the Kazan and Crimean Khanates with varying degrees of success. However, already in 1447 Vasily stopped sending tribute to the Tatar-Mongols.
Until now, Vasily 2, whose domestic and foreign policy was aimed at strengthening the Moscow principality and centralizing the lands around his inheritance, remains a controversial personality. Some researchers believe that he did not possess any political or military qualities, and his successes are the fruits of a successful coincidence of circumstances. Other historians are inclined to argue that Vasily II made a great contribution to strengthening the role of Moscow and consolidating the lands around it.
Vasily II the Dark(1415-1462), Grand Duke of Moscow from 1425. Son of Vasily I. He won the war with the appanage princes (1425-1453). Blinded (1446) by Prince Dmitry Shemyaka (hence the nickname). He annexed the Nizhny Novgorod principality, part of the Yaroslavl lands, etc. to Moscow. He carried out the unification of taxation, a census of the tax-paying population, etc.
Vasily II Vasilievich Dark, Grand Duke of Moscow, 1415-1462, reigned in 1425. Vasily’s uncle, Yuri, Prince of Galich of Kostroma, taking advantage of his youth, demanded a great reign; the struggle went on for many years. In 1433, Yuri occupied Moscow, but soon died. His sons and Dmitry Shemyaka continued to fight. In 1436 Vasily blinded Kosoy. In 1445, Vasily was captured by the Kazan Tatars and released for a large ransom. In 1446, Vasily was blinded by Shemyaka and deprived of his great reign. In 1447, Vasily again established himself in Moscow; Shemyaka was poisoned. In 1448, he deposed Metropolitan Isidore for his participation in the Union of Florence and elected Jonah as Metropolitan in addition to the Patriarch of Constantinople, thereby making the Russian Church independent. Pestilence and famine raged in 1442-1448. The boyars and clergy sided with Vasily, Vasily’s power grew and strengthened amid the turmoil. He punished Novgorod for helping Shemyaka, annexed the Mozhaisk and Serpukhov appanages to Moscow, subjugated Vyatka, and sent governors to the Ryazan land.
(1415-1462), Grand Duke of Moscow from 1425, son of Vasily I Dmitrievich. During the reign of Vasily II Vasilyevich, a long feudal internecine war took place. The opponents of Vasily II Vasilyevich were a reactionary coalition of appanage princes led by his uncle - the Galician prince Yuri Dmitrievich and his sons and Dmitry Shemyaka. During the war, complicated by the simultaneous struggle with Kazan and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the grand ducal throne passed several times to the Galician princes, who were supported by Novgorod and temporarily Tver. Vasily II Vasilyevich was blinded (1446) by Dmitry Shemyaka (hence the nickname “Dark”), but he ultimately won in the early 50s. XV century victory. Vasily II Vasilyevich liquidated almost all the small fiefs within the Moscow principality and strengthened the grand-ducal power. As a result of a series of campaigns in 1441-1460. The dependence on Moscow of the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod principality, Novgorod the Great, Pskov and Vyatka increased. By order of Vasily II Vasilyevich, the Russian Bishop Jonah was elected metropolitan (1448), which marked the declaration of independence of the Russian Church from the Patriarch of Constantinople and strengthened the international position of Rus'.
Literature:
- Tikhomirov M.N. Medieval Moscow in the XIV-XV centuries, M., 1957;
- Cherepnin L.V. Formation of the Russian centralized state in the XIV-XV centuries. M., 1960.
Vasily II the Dark (1415-1462), Grand Duke of Moscow from 1425. Son of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily I and Sophia Vitovtovna. After the death of his older brothers, he became a possible contender for the Moscow table. During the childhood of Vasily II, the state was ruled by Grand Duchess Sofya Vitovtovna, Metropolitan Photius, and boyar I. D. Vsevolozhsky. During the internecine war of 1425-1453. Between Vasily II and his uncle Yuri Dmitrievich, and then the sons of the latter and Dmitry Shemyaka, Moscow changed hands several times. During the wedding of Vasily II with the Serpukhov princess Maria Yaroslavna in February 1433, a quarrel between Vasily II and the Galician princes broke out; The army of Vasily II was defeated in the battle on the river. Klyazma (April 25, 1433), Vasily II fled from Moscow, which was occupied by Prince Yuri Dmitrievich. Dissatisfaction with the policies of Yuri Dmitrievich led to the departure of many service people from the city to Vasily II, who was in Kolomna. Soon Yuri Dmitrievich was forced to leave Moscow. After the new defeat of Vasily II in the battle of March 20, 1434 and the week-long siege of Moscow. On March 31, the city was again occupied by supporters of Prince Yuri Dmitrievich, but after his imminent death (June 5, 1434), Vasily Kosoy declared himself heir to the Moscow throne. A month later, “having taken gold and silver, his father’s treasury and the entire city’s reserves,” he left for Kostroma. Vasily II re-entered Moscow and in January 1435 defeated the army of Vasily Kosoy. In 1436, by order of Vasily II, Dmitry Shemyaka, who arrived in Moscow, was captured, and the army was defeated on the river. Cherekh, he himself was brought to Moscow and on May 21, 1436 he was blinded. In 1439, when the army of Khan Ulu-Muhammad “unknown” appeared under the walls of Moscow, Vasily II left the city, leaving Yuri Patrikeev as governor, and went to the Volga; Ulu-Muhammad burned the Moscow suburbs and, after a ten-day siege of the city, retreated, taking it completely. During the campaign against Kazan in July 1445, the wounded Vasily II was captured; power in Moscow passed to Dmitry Shemyaka. Soon after this, a fire broke out in the city, destroying almost all the wooden buildings; About 2 thousand people died, and unrest among the townspeople began. In October 1445, Vasily II was released from captivity and arrived in Moscow, accompanied by the Tatars; Dmitry Shemyaka fled to Uglich, where he gathered an army, and on February 12, 1446 captured Moscow; Vasily II was captured in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, taken to Moscow, blinded (hence the nickname Dark) and exiled to Uglich. But already in December 1446, Vasily II again occupied Moscow, and at the beginning of 1450. inflicted a decisive defeat on Dmitry Shemyaka. In 1451, the Tatar army approached Moscow: the Moscow suburbs were burned, but the Kremlin survived. Later, Moscow repeatedly suffered from fires (in 1453 the Kremlin burned down; the fire of 1457 destroyed almost a third of the city).
Under Vasily II, the Dmitrov, Galitsky, Mozhaisky, Serpukhov-Borovsky appanages were liquidated, the Nizhny Novgorod principality, part of the Yaroslavl lands, the cities of Venev, Tashilov, Rzhev, etc. were annexed to Moscow, and the dependence of the Suzdal principality on Moscow increased. Consolidating power, Vasily II made his son Ivan co-ruler (no later than 1448). He expanded the composition of the Sovereign's court to include the children of boyars and service princes. At the insistence of Vasily II, Russian Bishop Jonah was elected metropolitan. In Moscow, the churches of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary at the Simonov Metochion (1458), the Praise of the Virgin Mary (1459), the Epiphany (in the Kremlin, at the courtyard of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery), John the Baptist (1460, at the Borovitsky Gate), etc. .
E.I. Kuksina.
(1415-1462) - Grand Duke of Moscow (1425-1433 under the regent mother, 1434-1462 - ruled independently).
Born in Moscow on March 10, 1415, the son of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily I Dmitrievich and Sofia Vitovtovna, nee Princess of Lithuania, grandson of Dmitry Donskoy.
During the childhood of Vasily II, real power belonged to his mother, Sophia, and Metropolitan Photius. His independent reign began in 1433 with his marriage to his fourth cousin, Princess Maria Yaroslavna - the daughter of the Borovsk, Serpukhov and Maloyaroslavl princes Yaroslav (Afanasy) Vladimirovich, the granddaughter of the hero of the Battle of Kulikovo. book Vladimir Andreevich Brave. From her he had nine children (seven sons and two daughters, of whom one survived).
The right to the Moscow throne after the death of his father was disputed by his uncle Yuri Dmitrievich, the prince of Zvenigorod and Galich (meaning the city of Galich in the Kostroma land). Based on the patrimonial order of inheritance, replaced by Vasily I with a family one, as well as on the will of their father Dmitry Donskoy, Yuri refused to recognize the legality of the rights of the young Vasily to the great reign. Yuri also had sons who were older than his ten-year-old cousin and, based on the family order of succession to the throne, had more rights to Moscow.
Already in February 1425, Yuri began negotiations with Moscow on the succession to the throne, but did not dare to start a war, fearing the mother of Vasily II and the regent of the Moscow principality Sophia, behind whom the figure of the powerful ruler of Lithuania Vytautas was clearly visible. The cunning policy of Metropolitan Photius, who defended the interests of the regent and her son, forced the issue of succession to the throne to be postponed until the khan's decision, especially since Rus' was gripped by a “pestilence” (plague).
In 1427, Vasily’s mother Sophia went to Lithuania to visit her father and there officially handed over to Vytautas the care of her son and the Moscow reign. Yuri was forced to admit that he would not “seek a great reign under Vasily.”
But in 1430 Vytautas died. Prince Yuri's brother-in-law and brother-in-law, another Lithuanian prince Svidrigailo, took the place of Vitovt. Counting on his support, Yuri renewed his claims to the throne. In 1431, he went to the Horde to sue his 15-year-old nephew Vasily II. In the Horde, he met him accompanied by a group of boyars, led by Ivan Vsevolozhsky. The latter, having a marriageable daughter and expecting to become the father-in-law of Vasily II, handled the matter so skillfully that the khan did not even want to hear about Yuri. In 1432, the khan gave the label to Vasily II. But upon returning from the Horde, Sophia insisted that her son become engaged not to Vsevolzhsky’s daughter, but to Princess Maria of Maloyaroslavl. At the wedding, a conflict broke out (Sofia tore off a precious gold belt from Yuri Dmitrievich’s son, Vasily Yuryevich, declaring that this belt was stolen and belonged to her family). The scandal became the reason for a long feudal war. Offended by Sophia, Vsevolzhsky went over to the side of Yuri Dmitrievich and became his faithful adviser.
In April 1433, Yuri and his regiments moved to Moscow. The “great battle” happened not far from the Trinity-Sergius Monastery; Yuri completely defeated his nephew 20 miles from Moscow. Vasily fled to Kostroma, where he was captured.
Yuri entered Moscow as a winner and took the throne. His sons and Dmitry (nicknamed Shemyaka) suggested that their father kill their cousin and rival, but Yuri “gave peace” to Vasily II - he released him from captivity, allowed him to go to Kolomna near Moscow and even richly gifted him. However, this broad gesture did not save the situation: no one in Moscow wanted to recognize Yuri as a ruler, and princes, boyars, governors, nobles, and servants began to flock to the exiled Vasily II in Kolomna. Seeing that he was “not called to reign,” Yuri “sent to Vasily to invite him back to the great reign,” and he himself left for Galich.
But Yuri’s sons did not want to humble themselves and give their brother what (they believed) belonged to them by right of kinship. In 1434, they went to war against their 19-year-old brother and defeated his army on the Kusi River. Vasily II, having learned that his uncle’s regiments also took part in the battle against him, went to Galich and burned this city, and forced his uncle to flee to Beloozero. In mid-1434, the troops of Yuri and his sons jointly defeated the regiments of Vasily II near Rostov the Great. The Moscow prince had to seek protection first in Veliky Novgorod, then in Nizhny Novgorod and the Horde. There he received news of the sudden death of his uncle.
The second period of the war began. It began with the fact that two of the sons of the deceased Yuri - Dmitry Shemyaka and Dmitry Krasnoy (at that time in Rus' children were given names in honor of the saints who accounted for their birth, so in one family there could be two children with the same names) - unexpectedly took the side of Vasily II. However, their aforementioned brother Vasily remained firm in his claims to the throne. In 1435, he gathered an army in Kostroma, challenging the Moscow prince to battle. Not far from Yaroslavl (on the banks of the Kotorosl River), the Muscovites won a victory. At the conclusion of peace, Vasily promised to no longer “seek a great reign,” but in 1436 he again began to lay claim to the throne. Near Rostov the Great, near the village of Skoryatin, in the same year 1436 he was defeated, captured and - according to the Byzantine custom applied to the vanquished - blinded. This gave him the nickname “Oblique”.
In 1439, the Kazan Khan Ulu-Mukhammed approached Moscow. Vasily II, not having time to gather an army, fled across the Volga, leaving the capital to the governor Yuri Patrikeev. By refusing to help his brother and ally in this difficult moment, Dmitry Shemyaka actually began the third period of internecine struggle for power, which moved into the stage of open confrontation in 1441. Circumstances were not in Vasily’s favor: a plague epidemic had reached Rus'.
The following years, 1442-1444, also turned out to be dry and hungry. At this time, threats to Moscow from the Tatars intensified. The first successes of Vasily II (he managed to defeat a 1,500-strong army of Kazan Tatars on the Nerl River in 1445) gave way to defeats: near the Euthymius Monastery he was severely wounded and captured by the Tatars, who chopped off several of his fingers, removed his pectoral cross and sent ambassadors to Moscow to his mother and wife, offering to negotiate a ransom of 25 thousand rubles. To pay, Vasily’s mother Sophia ordered the urgent introduction of new taxes.
In February 1446, Vasily returned to Moscow and first of all went to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery to thank God for the miraculous salvation. Taking advantage of this, Dmitry Shemyaka captured Moscow, captured Sophia (sent her to Chukhloma) and emptied the treasury. After this, he ordered that Vasily II be brought from the monastery. On February 16, 1446, by order of Dmitry Shemyaki, they did the same to him as was done to Dmitry: Vasily II was blinded (from then on he received the nickname “Dark”) and exiled to Uglich along with his wife.
But the Moscow boyars did not want to recognize the son of the Zvenigorod heir as their ruler. Many, before the return of the “legitimate prince,” together with the service people, rushed to Lithuania. Less than six months had passed before Dmitry Shemyaka came to Vasily in Uglich to “ask for forgiveness,” gave him rich gifts, called him back “to the table” and, as a sign of reconciliation, “gave Vologda as his patrimony.”
Blinded Vasily II did not believe the promises. He turned to the Tver prince with a request for help, hoping to take revenge on Shemyaka. The Tver prince agreed to provide regiments “to help” on the condition that Vasily’s son, the young Prince Ivan (the future Tsar Ivan III) betrothed to his daughter, Princess Maria Borisovna. The terms were accepted.
In 1447, a united army (Muscovites, Tver, Lithuanian regiments) opposed Shemyaka and forced him to flee to Kargopol. Vasily asked for help from the church (from Metropolitan Jonah). The Council of Bishops condemned “Yuryevich’s sedition.” Vasily II, who returned to the capital, hastened to free his mother, wife and children, and especially his beloved son Ivan, from captivity. In 1450, when Ivan was 10 years old, Vasily II called him “Grand Duke” and from then on ordered that all letters be drawn up on behalf of two great princes: his own and his son Ivan. This made Ivan III Vasilyevich the recognized heir to the great reign. In order to put an end to the confrontation with Shemyaka forever, Vasily gave the order to pursue Dmitry to the last. In 1453 Shemyaka was captured in Novgorod and poisoned.
After Shemyakina’s death, Vasily II put an end to all his former allies, annexing their lands to Moscow (Mozhaisk in 1454, Uglich in 1456); The Moscow prince took 10,000 rubles from Novgorod.
In 1462, shortly before his death, Vasily II for the first time used mass executions as a means of combating disobedience and drew up a detailed will, transferring into the possession of his five sons and wife all the cities and volosts collected “under his hand.” Wanting to give his eldest son an advantage over his brothers, he gave Ivan more cities than everyone else, laying the foundation of the state in the princely inheritance and obliging all sons to obey the brother to whom the great reign was bequeathed.
Vasily II died on March 27, 1462 from “dry disease” (neurosyphilis). He was buried in Moscow in the Archangel Cathedral.
The reign of Vasily II has been assessed differently by historians. N.K. Karamzin believed that the creation of a unified Moscow state began with him. In the era of the Soviet political “thaw”, an appeal to the history of Rus' at the beginning of the 15th century. was a way to talk about the internecine war between Moscow and other lands as a war between feudal Moscow and the freedom-loving population of other parts of the country (A.A. Zimin). A decade later, the same war of Vasily II was presented in the works of historians as a struggle of a progressive, striving for the centralization of Moscow with the ideology of the old appanage power-hungry principles (Yu.G. Alekseev). Many did not agree with this interpretation of events, as well as with the fact that the bearer of the “nationwide idea of unity” could be Vasily II, “a politically weak and evil character” who “had neither political nor military talents” (Ya.S. Lurie) .
During the reign of Vasily II, Nizhny Novgorod, the Principality of Suzdal, Murom were annexed to Moscow, Moscow governors were installed in the Ryazan cities, and Pskov, Novgorod and Vyatka were made dependent on Moscow. Under Vasily II, taxation was unified and a census of the tax-paying population was carried out. The strengthening of Moscow was supported by the Russian Orthodox Church, which advocated the unity of the Russian land. Russia also strengthened its international authority by rejecting the decisions of the VIII Ecumenical Council in Florence (July 5, 1539) and the union adopted at it between the Orthodox and Catholic churches, since it implied the primacy of the Pope. Ryazan Bishop Jonah was named Moscow Metropolitan under Vasily II (without the consent and permission of the Patriarchate of Constantinople).
Literature:
- Zimin A.A. Large feudal estate and socio-political struggle in Russia (late XV-XVI centuries). M., 1977;
- Presnyakov A.V. Formation of the Great Russian State. Pgd., 1918;
- Tikhomirov M.N. Medieval Moscow in the XIV-XV centuries. M., 1957; Cherepnin L.V. Formation of the Russian centralized state in the XIV-XV centuries. M., 1960.
Lev Pushkarev, Natalya Pushkareva
(03/15/1415 - 03/27/1462) (knee 17) From the family of Moscow Grand Dukes. Son of Vasily I Dmitrievich and Grand Duchess of Lithuania Sofia Vitovtovna. Born March 10, 1415. Grand Duke of Moscow in 1425-1433, 1434-1462.
Vasily II became the prince of Moscow when he was barely 10 years old. Meanwhile, his rights to the great reign were far from disputed, since his uncles Yuri, Andrei, Peter and Konstantin Dmitrievich were alive, of whom the first - Yuri Zvenigorodsky - never hid his desires to become the Grand Duke after the death of Vasily I (especially since this followed directly from the will of his father, Dmitry Donskoy). As soon as he heard about the death of his elder brother, Yuri fled to Galich and from there began negotiations with Moscow. Neither side dared to start a war, and through the mediation of Metropolitan Photius, it was decided to postpone the question of succession to the throne until the khan's decision. However, in 1427, Vasily’s mother went to Lithuania to visit her father Vitovt and entrusted him with her son and the entire Moscow reign. It was now difficult for Yuri to persist in his intention. In 1428, he promised not to seek a great reign under Vasily.
But in 1430 Vitovt died, and in 1431 Yuri went to the Horde to sue his nephew. Vasily followed, accompanied by his first boyars, on whose resourcefulness and dexterity he could only rely. The head of the Moscow boyars was then Prince. Ivan Dmitrievich Vsevolozhsky, cunning, dexterous, resourceful, a worthy successor to those Moscow boyars who, under Vasily’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather, knew how to maintain Moscow’s primacy and give it power. Upon arrival in the Horde, he handled the matter so skillfully that the khan did not want to hear about Yuri. In the spring of 1432, the rivals began to go to court in front of the Tatar princes. Yuri based his rights on ancient family custom, referring to chronicles and Donskoy’s will. Ivan Dmitrievich spoke for Vasily. He told the khan: “Prince Yuri is looking for the Great Reign according to the will of his father, and Prince Vasily is looking for your mercy; You gave your ulus to his father Vasily Dmitrievich, who, based on your mercy, passed it on to his son, who has reigned for so many years and has not been overthrown by you, therefore, reigns by your mercy.” This flattery, which expressed complete contempt for antiquity, had its effect: the khan gave the label to Vasily.
Vsevolozhsky, as a reward for the services he rendered to Vasily in the Horde, hoped that the Grand Duke would marry his daughter. Vasily, being in the Horde, made a promise to Vsevolozhsky to do this. But upon arrival in Moscow, things changed. The Grand Duke's mother, Sofia Vitovna, did not agree to this marriage and insisted that her son become engaged to Princess Marya Yaroslavna. Then Vsevolzhsky, considering himself severely insulted, left Moscow, went over to Yuri’s side and henceforth became his adviser.
In April 1433, Yuri moved to Moscow. Moscow learned about Yuri's movement only when he was already in Pereyaslavl with a large army. Vasily, taken by surprise, sent his boyars to ask for peace from his uncle, whom they found in the Trinity Monastery. “And there was,” says the chronicler, “a great fight and an unkind word between the boyars.” Then Vasily, having quickly gathered as many military men and Moscow residents, guests and others as he could, marched against his uncle, but was completely defeated by Yuri’s strong regiments on Klyazma, 20 miles from Moscow, and fled to Kostroma, where he was captured. Yuri entered Moscow and became Grand Duke.
Yuri's sons - and Dmitry Shemyaka - wanted to get rid of their opponent immediately after the victory, but Yuri did not have enough firmness to decide on violent measures. In addition, Yuri had an old favorite boyar Semyon Morozov, who, probably out of rivalry with Vsevolozhsky, stood up for the captive Vasily and persuaded Yuri to give Kolomna to the latter as his inheritance. In vain Vsevolozhsky and Yuri's sons were angry and rebelled against this decision: Yuri gave the requested peace to his nephew, richly rewarded him and sent him to Kolomna with all his boyars.
But as soon as Vasily arrived in Kolomna, he began to call people to him from everywhere, and princes, boyars, governors, nobles, servants began to flock to him from everywhere, refusing to serve Yuri, because, the chronicler says, they were not accustomed to serving the Galician princes. In a word, around Vasily gathered all those who would have come to him and to Moscow at the first call, but did not have time to do this, because Yuri attacked his nephew by surprise and only owed his triumph to this. Yuri, seeing himself abandoned by everyone, sent to Vasily to call him back to the great reign, and he himself left for Galich. Vsevolzhsky was captured by Vasily and blinded; its villages were taken into the treasury.
Kosoy and Shemyaka did not participate in their father’s agreement, and the war continued. In the same year they defeated the Moscow army on the Kusi River. Vasily learned that his uncle’s regiments were in the army of his sons. Therefore, in 1434, he went against Yuri to Galich, burned the city and forced his uncle to flee to Beloozero. In the spring, uniting with his sons, Yuri moved to Moscow. He met Vasily in the Rostov region near Mount St. Nikola and broke it. Vasily fled to Novgorod, then to Nizhny. From here he was going to the Horde, when he suddenly learned about the sudden death of Yuri and that Vasily Kosoy had taken the Moscow table.
But Kosoy's brothers, two Dmitrys - Shemyaka and Krasny - sent to invite Vasily to the great reign. Vasily, as a reward for this, endowed them with volosts. Kosoy was expelled from Moscow and deprived of his inheritance. In 1435, he gathered an army in Kostroma and met with Vasily II in the Yaroslavl volost, on the banks of the Kotorosl. Muscovites won. Both rivals made peace, and Kosoy once again promised not to seek a great reign.
But the peace was short-lived. The very next year the war broke out with renewed vigor, and Kosoy was the first to send folding letters to Vasily II. Both troops met in the Rostov region near the village of Skoryatin. Kosoy, not hoping to defeat his opponent by force, decided to use treachery: he concluded a truce with Vasily the Second until the morning and, when Vasily, relying on this, disbanded his regiments to collect supplies, he unexpectedly went on the offensive. Vasily immediately sent out an order to all sides to gather, he himself grabbed the trumpet and began to blow. The Moscow regiments managed to assemble before the arrival of Kosoy, who was defeated and captured. He was taken to Moscow and blinded there.
Vasily II did not have a war with Dmitry Shemyaka at that time, and he calmly reigned in his inheritance. In 1439, the Kazan Khan Ulu-Mukhammed approached Moscow. Vasily did not have time to gather his strength and left for the Volga, leaving governor Yuri Patrikeev to defend Moscow. Khan stood under the city for 10 days, could not take it, but caused a lot of harm to the Russian land. Shemyaka, despite Vasily’s repeated calls, never came to his aid. Vasily, in revenge, went to Shemyaka and drove him to Novgorod. In the same year, Shemyaka returned with an army, but made peace with Vasily.
In 1445, Ulu-Mukhammed captured Nizhny Novgorod, and from there he came to Murom. Vasily came out against him with all his might. Ulu-Muhammad retreated to Nizhny and took refuge in it. Otherwise, the matter ended at the second meeting of Vasily with the Tatars. In the spring of the same year, news came to Moscow that the two sons of Ulu-Mukhammedov had again appeared at the Russian borders, and Vasily opposed them. In June, the Moscow army stopped on the Kamenka River. On the night from the 6th to the 7th there was still no news of the Tatars. Vasily sat down to dinner with the princes and boyars; They got drunk at night, got up the next day after sunrise, and Vasily, having listened to the matins, was about to go to bed again, when the news came that the Tatars were crossing the Nerl River. Vasily immediately sent this news to all the camps, put on armor, raised banners and set out into the field, but he had few troops, only one thousand and a half, because the regiments of the allied princes did not have time to assemble, and Shemyaka did not come, despite the fact that that they sent him many times. Near the Euthymius Monastery, on the left side, the Russian regiments clashed with the Tatars, and in the first skirmish the grand ducal army put the Tatars to flight. But when they began to chase them in disarray, the enemy suddenly turned around and inflicted a terrible defeat on the Russians. Vasily fought back bravely, received many wounds and was finally captured. The Khan's sons removed his pectoral cross and sent him to Moscow to his mother and wife. The prisoner himself was taken to the khan. Ulu-Muhammad agreed with him on a ransom. Its exact amount is not known, but, in any case, it was considerable.
Many Tatar princes left the Horde with the Grand Duke for Rus'. In Vasily’s absence, Moscow suffered a severe fire, the entire city burned down, and thousands of people lost their property. When heavy taxes were imposed on the people to pay the ransom, strong displeasure was revealed on all sides. Shemyaka hastened to take advantage of this. The princes of Tver and Mozhaisk agreed to help him overthrow Vasily. Soon many Moscow boyars and merchants and even monks joined the conspiracy.
In 1446, the Moscow conspirators let the allied princes know that Vasily had gone to the Trinity Monastery to pray. Shemyaka and Mozhaisky took Moscow by surprise on the night of February 12, captured Vasily’s mother and wife, plundered his treasury, intercepted and robbed his loyal boyars. That same night Mozhaisky went to Trinity with a large detachment of his henchmen. On the 13th, Vasily was listening to mass, when suddenly the Ryazan resident Bunko ran into the church and announced to him that Shemyaka and Mozhaisky were marching against him as an army. Vasily did not believe him, because Bunko had recently left him for Shemyaka. “These people only confuse us,” he said, “can it be that the brothers come at me when I’m kissing the cross with them?”, and he ordered Bunka to be expelled from the monastery. But just in case, he still sent guards to Radonezh. The watchmen looked through the military men of Mozhaisky, for they saw them first and told their prince, who hid the soldiers on carts under matting. Having entered the mountain, the warriors jumped out of the carts and intercepted the guards. Vasily saw the enemies only when they began to descend from the Radonezh Mountain. He rushed to the stable yard, but there was not a single ready horse here. Then Vasily ran to the monastery to the Trinity Church, where the sexton let him in and locked the doors behind him. Immediately after this, his enemies entered the monastery. Prince Ivan Mozhaisky began to ask where the Grand Duke was. Vasily, hearing his voice, shouted to him from the church: “Brothers! Have mercy on me! Let me stay here, look at the image of God... I will not leave this monastery, I will take tonsure here,” and, taking the icon of St. Sergius, went to the southern doors, unlocked them himself and, meeting Prince Ivan with the icon in his hands, said to him: “Brother! We kissed the life-giving cross and this icon in this very church, at this tomb of the miracle worker, so that we can’t think of any harm against each other, but now I don’t know what’s happening to me?” Ivan hastened to calm Vasily. He, having put the icon in its place, fell in front of the miraculous tomb and began to pray with such tears, screaming and sobbing that even his enemies shed tears. Prince Ivan, having prayed a little, went out, saying to the boyar Nikita Konstantinovich: “Take him.” Vasily, having prayed, stood up and, looking around, asked: “Where is brother, Prince Ivan?” Instead of answering, Nikita approached him, grabbed him by the shoulders and said: “You have been taken by Grand Duke Dmitry Yuryevich.” Vasily responded to this: “God’s will be done!” Then Nikita took him out of the church and out of the monastery, after which they put him on a naked sleigh with a monk opposite him and took him to Moscow. He arrived here on the night of February 14 and was imprisoned in the courtyard by Shemyakin. On the 16th, at night, he was blinded and exiled to Uglich along with his wife, and his mother, Grand Duchess Sofia Vitovtovna, was sent to Chukhloma.
Of the Vasiliev boyars and servants, some swore allegiance to Shemyaka, others fled to Tver. But there were also many who were ready to fight with arms in hand for the return of Vasily to the throne. They all gathered soon in Lithuania. Shemyaka was frightened by the general mood in favor of the captive Vasily and, after long meetings with his supporters, decided to release him and give him patrimony. In the fall of 1446, he came to Uglich, repented and asked Vasily for forgiveness. Vasily, in turn, placed all the blame on himself alone, saying: “And it was not necessary for me to suffer for my sins and perjury before you, my older brothers, and before all Orthodox Christianity. I was worthy of the death penalty, but you... “The sovereign showed mercy to me, did not destroy me with my iniquities, gave me time to repent.” When he said this, tears flowed from his eyes in streams, everyone present was amazed at such humility and tenderness and cried themselves, looking at him. Shemyaka arranged a large feast for Vasily, his wife and children, which was attended by all the bishops and many boyars. Vasily received rich gifts and Vologda as his fatherland, promising Shemyaka in advance not to seek a great reign under him.
But Vasily’s followers were only waiting for his release and rushed to him in crowds. Everything was ready for war, the only difficulty was the promise given by Vasily. Hegumen Kirillov of the Belozersky monastery Tryphon took the perjury upon himself when Vasily came from Vologda to his monastery under the pretext of feeding the brethren and distributing alms. From Bela Lake Vasily went to Tver. Tver Prince Boris Alexandrovich promised help on the condition that he would betroth his eldest son and heir Ivan to his daughter Marya. Vasily agreed and with the Tver regiments went to Shemyaka to Moscow. An army of Vasily's supporters, Moscow exiles, moved from Lithuania. Shemyaka with Prince Ivan Mozhaisky went to Volok to meet the enemy, but in their absence Moscow was easily captured by the boyar Pleshcheev. Having learned about this, Shemyaka and Mozhaisky ran to Galich, and from there to Chukhloma and Kargopol. Shemyaka released the captive Sofia Vitovtovna from Kargopol and began to ask for peace. Peace was given to him. Of course, Shemyaka was ready to break the peace at any moment. Less than a year had passed before much evidence of his treachery had accumulated in Moscow. Finally, a letter from Shemyaka to the Moscow thiun Vatazin was intercepted, in which Shemyaka ordered him to outrage the townspeople against Vasily.
Having received this evidence, Vasily handed the matter over to the clergy for decision. The Council of Bishops unequivocally condemned Shemyaka's sedition. In 1448, Vasily set out on a campaign against the rebellious Yuryevich. Shemyaka got scared and asked for peace. Peace was concluded on the same terms, but in the spring of 1449 Shemyaka again violated the kiss of the cross, besieged Kostroma, fought for a long time near the city, but could not take it, because there was a strong garrison in it. Vasily and his regiments marched against Shemyaka, but returned without fighting.
Finally, in 1450, Prince Vasily Ivanovich Obolensky attacked Shemyaka near Galich and inflicted a heavy defeat on him. After this, Galich surrendered to the Grand Duke. Shemyaka fled north and captured Ustyug. Meanwhile, in 1451, the Tatar prince Mazovsha came to Moscow and burned the entire settlement. In 1452, having fought off the Tatars, Vasily went to drive Shemyaka out of Ustyug. Yuryevich took refuge in Novgorod, where he was poisoned and died in 1453.
As one would expect, Vasily armed himself after Shemyakina’s death against his former allies. In 1454 Mozhaisk was annexed to Moscow. Prince Ivan fled to Lithuania. In 1456, Prince Vasily Yaroslavich Serpukhovsky was captured and imprisoned in Uglich. Of all the estates, only one remained in Moscow - Vereisky. In the same year, Vasily went to Novgorod, but made peace, taking 10,000 rubles as a ransom.
In 1462, Vasily fell ill with a dry illness and ordered himself to use the medicine that was then common for this illness: to light tinder on different parts of the body several times; but the medicine did not help. It became very difficult for the patient, he wanted to become a monk, but the boyars dissuaded him, and on March 27, Saturday, the fourth week of Lent, Vasily died. He was buried in Moscow in the Archangel Cathedral.
Ryzhov K. All the monarchs of the world Russia. 600 short biographies. M., 1999.
Vasily II Vasilyevich the Dark, Grand Duke of Moscow and Vladimir, son of Grand Duke Vasily I Dmitrievich. Born in 1415, reigned from 1425. He was 10 years old when his father died. His candidacy for the grand ducal throne could also be considered legally unstable: the will of Dmitry Donskoy, his grandfather, contained words that substantiated the claim of Vasily’s uncle, Yuri Dmitrievich, to the great reign. The resolution of the dispute between uncle and nephew depended in fact on the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas, the guardian of the family of Vasily I. Relying on him, Metropolitan Photius persuaded Yuri to a peace treaty (1425), according to which he undertook not to achieve a great reign by force; only the khan's award was recognized as authoritative in case Yuri renewed his claims. Dependent on Vytautas, the Moscow government did not protest against the appointment of a special Western Russian metropolitan in 1425. It was not difficult for Vitovt to obtain the abdication (in 1428) of the Moscow Grand Duke from independent politics in Veliky Novgorod and Pskov. Yuri had to formally limit his possessions to Galich and Vyatka, renounce his claims to the great reign, undertake not to accept Moscow emigrants into his service, etc. Vytautas died in 1430; Svidrigailo settled in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and Yuri, who was related to him, did not hesitate to abandon the agreement of 1428. At the beginning of 1431, Yuri and Vasily II were already in the Horde; the litigation dragged on there for more than a year and ended in favor of Vasily II. According to the chronicle story, Yuri stood on the basis of Donskoy’s will; Moscow boyar Ivan Dmitrievich Vsevolozhsky opposed the sovereign will of the khan to the will, denying the legal value of “dead” letters. Vasily II was seated on the table by the Horde ambassador - for the first time in Moscow. Yuri Khan was given the city of Dmitrov, which was soon (1432) taken from him by Vasily. The promise given by Vasily to Vsevolozhsky at a critical moment to marry his daughter was broken, and in 1433 Vasily II married the daughter of the appanage prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich. In addition, at the wedding of the Grand Duke, his mother, Sofya Vitovtovna, treated Yuri’s son, Vasily Kosy, rudely. The offended Vsevolozhsky went over to Yuri's side; Vasily Kosoy and his brothers Dmitry Shemyaka and Dmitry Krasny went to their father. In April 1433, 20 versts from Moscow, Vasily II was defeated and took refuge in Kostroma, where he was captured. Of all his possessions, only Kolomna remained behind him. But disagreements among the victors forced Yuri to cede the great reign to Vasily II. Yuri's sons did not lay down their arms; Yuri soon reconciled with them. Vasily II suffered defeat after defeat. In 1434 he had to take refuge in Novgorod; Moscow was occupied by Yuri. The sudden death of Yuri split the opponents of Vasily II for the second time; the younger brothers did not pester the eldest, Vasily Kosoy, who declared himself the Grand Duke; with their help, Vasily II regained his great reign. In 1435 Kosoy was defeated on the Kotorosl River and bound by a treaty. Vasily II's position, however, was not strong. The strife, which disrupted the economic life of the Moscow center for several years in a row, shook the loyalty of the Moscow commercial and industrial circles, which were seeking peace. In Tver, Shemyaka began to lean towards Kosoy (and was imprisoned on suspicion of this). Kosoy himself violated the agreement in 1436 and opposed Vasily II. In open battle he was defeated; in captivity he was blinded, Shemyaka was freed and granted patrimony. Until now there has been a purely dynastic dispute; the second attack of strife occurred on both sides under the banner of national principle. Two factors contributed to this. The Florentine Union of 1439 created a line between Uniate (at first) and Catholic Lithuania - and Eastern Russia, which did not change Orthodoxy; at the same time, the aggressive policy of the Eastern Tatar hordes intensified, and the Tatar element began to penetrate the ruling elite of Moscow society. At first, after the strife was pacified, the Moscow government allowed itself a bold policy in relation to Veliky Novgorod; it stopped recognizing the treaty of 1435 concluded with it in difficult times, sent a princely governor there, and in 1441, with a military expedition, forced the Novgorodians to buy a peace that was unfavorable for them for 8,000 rubles and formally abandon the conditions of 1435. In 1442 it was “ “dislike was thrown” onto Shemyaka, who under the new conditions had nowhere to hide and no one to rely on; However, reconciliation took place with the assistance of the Trinity abbot. At the same time, Metropolitan Isidore, who concluded the Florentine Union, was not accepted. Khan Ulu-Makhmet, thrown out of the Horde to the Russian border, settled in 1438 in the city of Belev; besieged there by Moscow troops, he was ready to agree to any conditions, surrendering to the complete will of Vasily II. But the Moscow governors wanted a military victory - and were defeated due to the betrayal of the Lithuanian governor sent to their aid. Ulu-Makhmet passed unhindered to Nizhny Novgorod, and in 1439 made a destructive raid on Moscow; The Grand Duke managed to escape, the stone “city” survived, but the towns and surrounding areas (up to and including Kolomna) suffered greatly. Nizhny Novgorod, where the Horde of Ulu-Makhmet was based, was under siege. Murom and Vladimir had to maintain reinforced garrisons; The residence of the Grand Duke wandered between them. In 1445, Makhmet’s movement was repulsed; Believing that security was temporarily ensured, Vasily II returned to Moscow to celebrate Easter. Taking advantage of the weakness of the garrisons, Makhmet unexpectedly attacked Vasily II near the city of Yuryev and took him prisoner. The conditions of liberation - a heavy ransom (200,000 rubles) and an exacting retinue of the Tatar nobility - created conditions favorable for Shemyaki, who had risen again: relying on discontent in different strata of society, he attracted the princes of Tver and Mozhaisk to his side. In February 1446, Vasily II was captured in the Trinity Monastery by the Prince of Mozhaisk: Moscow was occupied by Shemyaka. Vasily II was brought here and blinded. His supporters found an honorable reception in Lithuania. Through the mediation of the Ryazan Bishop Jonah, to whom Shemyaka promised the metropolis, the new government managed to deceive the children of Vasily II to Moscow; They were imprisoned together with their father in Uglich. This reprisal did not strengthen Shemyaka’s position; the concentration of dissatisfied people on Lithuanian territory threatened major complications. At the church-boyar council at the end of 1446, Shemyaka, under the influence of the particularly compromised Metropolitan Jonah, agreed to release the blind Vasily II (1447). Vologda was given to him as a homeland and became the base of a movement that immediately began in his favor. Its center was moved to Tver, when the abbot of the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery Trifon allowed Vasily II from kissing the cross in Shemyaka, and the Tver prince Boris lagged behind Shemyaka, and his daughter was betrothed to Vasily’s son, Ivan (the future Grand Duke Ivan III); Supporters of Vasily II from Lithuania also flocked to Tver. The Moscow See, always a supporter of strong grand-ducal power, did not miss the moment to rehabilitate itself and take the side of the strongest; Shemyaka’s departure from Moscow put into her hands the wavering capital’s population, which in its leading trading circles was exclusively peaceful. It was easy for a small detachment of supporters of Vasily II, who secretly penetrated into Moscow, to intercept people close to Shemyaka and swear in the Moscow masses (Shemyaka’s oath could only be canceled by the highest local, that is, metropolitan, church authority). Shemyaka's position from that moment quickly deteriorated, and in 1448 he was forced to formally renounce the Moscow throne. His ally Prince Mozhaisky, as well as the princes of Ryazan, Borovsky and Vereysky were bound by subordinate agreements. At the same time, the official consecration of Jonah to metropolitan by a church council took place; in the message announcing this, Jonah conjures everyone who has not yet gone over to the side of Vasily II to beat the restored Grand Duke with his forehead, under the threat of church excommunication. In 1449, when Shemyaka again opposed Vasily II, the campaign of the Moscow troops had an almost cross-like character: the metropolitan and bishops went with the Grand Duke. In 1450, Shemyaka was completely exhausted near Galich and fled to Veliky Novgorod. From there in 1452 he made a sortie that ended unsuccessfully. In 1453 he died suddenly. The version of his poisoning due to Moscow efforts, according to some signs, can be considered plausible. The Mozhaisk prince fled to Lithuania, and Mozhaisk was annexed to Moscow in 1454. Two years later, the same thing happened to the Borovsk prince. The turn came to Veliky Novgorod; The Novgorod troops were defeated, Novgorod was brought to submission to the Grand Duke under unprecedentedly difficult conditions: 10,000 indemnity, the abolition of veche letters (“there will be no eternal letters”), the replacement of the Novgorod seal with the seal of the Grand Duke. This was the beginning of the end of Novgorod independence. The degree of irritation of the Novgorodians can be judged by the fact that during one of Vasily Vasilyevich’s visits to Novgorod (1460), the issue of killing the Grand Duke was discussed at the assembly. In 1458-1459, Vyatka, who stood on the side of Yuri and his sons in the strife of the 30s, was forced to “finish off the will of the Grand Duke with his brow.” In the 50s, the Ryazan prince entrusted his principality and son to Moscow guardianship, which was expressed in sending governors there. The results of the reign of Vasily II can be characterized as a series of major successes: an increase in the territory of the Moscow Grand Reign, independence and a new formulation of the tasks of the Russian Church, a renewed idea of Moscow autocracy and the internally strengthened power of the Grand Duke. In 1450, Ivan, the eldest son of Vasily II, was made his co-ruler; his name appears on state documents. All these are sprouts that bloomed in lush colors during the reign of Ivan III. - Vasily Vasilyevich died on March 27, 1462 from dry illness. Married to Princess Maria Yaroslavna from 1433, he had children: Yuri (died before 1462), Ivan, Yuri, Andrei Bolshoi, Semyon, Boris, Andrei Menshoy and a daughter Anna, who was married to Prince Vasily Ivanovich of Ryazan.
Vasily 2 the Dark (reigned 1415-1462) is a Moscow prince who made a significant contribution to strengthening his principality and establishing it as a “gatherer of Russian lands.” This was a prominent representative of the last civil strife in the Russian state, who managed to emerge victorious in this bloody battle. In this article we will look at the life path of this person, find out why Vasily 2 received the nickname “Dark”, and also why victory was on the side of Vasily 2.
Vasily 2 the Dark: a short biography
Vasily the Second “Dark” was born in 1415 in Moscow. Vasily's mother was the influential Lithuanian princess Sofya Vitovtovna, who was the regent of the young prince. However, not everyone in the Russian state wanted to recognize the new ruler. Vasily's uncle, the Galich prince Yuri, relying on the will of Dmitry Donskoy, declared his right to the Moscow throne. Yuri’s sons, Dmitry Kosoy and Vasily Shemyaka, also had the right to the grand ducal title. For a long time, Yuri was afraid to directly declare his right to the throne, since regent Sophia relied on her powerful father, the Lithuanian ruler Vytautas. However, after his death in 1430, Yuri went to the Horde, wanting to challenge his 15-year-old nephew for the right to the throne. But with the support of the influential boyar Ivan Vsevolozhsky, Vasily received the khan's label for reign. Boyar Vsevolozhsky intended to give his daughter to Vasily and thereby gain a strong place near the throne, but Vasily’s mother had other plans. She prophesied Princess Marya Yaroslavna as Vasily’s wife, so she considered this marriage more profitable.
At the wedding, there was a conflict between Sophia and Yuri’s sons. Sophia publicly tore off the gold belt from Vasily Kosoy, declaring that it was stolen from their family. The offended Yuryevichs left the celebration, and the boyar Vsevolozhsky left with them, offended by Sophia for disrupting his plan with his daughter’s engagement. Subsequently, he became a faithful adviser to Yuri and his sons.
This event became the beginning of a long civil strife in the Russian state. On the way home, Yuri's sons plundered Yaroslavl, Vasily's possession.In 1433, the blitz of the Sergius-Troitsky Monastery clashed between the armies of Vasily and Yuryevich. Vasily was defeated and captured, and Yuri ascended the throne. Dmitry and Vasily Yuryevich tried to persuade him to commit suicide with his nephew, but their father, rightly deciding that this act would turn the majority of his subjects against him, decided to do the opposite - he presented Vasily with rich gifts and sent him to reign in Kolomna. However, this gesture of goodwill did not bring any visible results. On the contrary, people began to flock to Kolomna, dissatisfied with Yuri’s usurpation. Moscow was empty, and Kolomna instantly turned into a new capital. Soon the new prince realizes that the local population does not want to see him as a prince and returns the Moscow throne to Vasily.
However, his sons, Vasily Kosoy and Dmitry Shemyaka, do not agree with this decision. Gathering an army, in 1434 they defeated Vasily’s army near Rostov and captured Moscow. Soon Yuri dies, and before his death he bequeaths Moscow to his son Vasily Kosoy.
Vasily's brothers, Dmitry Shemyaka and Dmitry Krasny did not recognize the new ruler and entered into an alliance with Vasily the Dark. When the united troops of the princes approached, Vasily disappeared, taking the treasury with him. Having gathered a new army in Novgorod, Vasily Kosoy gave battle to Yuri near the Kotorosl River and was defeated. Vasily Kosoy requested a truce, but soon violated it himself, speaking at the position of Vasily II in Rostov. In 1436, a battle took place on the Cherek River, as a result of which Vasily Kosoy was defeated and captured. The prisoner was taken to Moscow, where he was blinded. His brother Dmitry, who was in captivity in Kolomna, was released by order of Vasily and endowed with the lands of his rebellious brother.
However, with the defeat of Vasily Kosoy, feudal strife in the Russian state did not stop. In 1439, the Kazan Khan Ulu-Mukhammed approached Moscow. Vasily II, Prince of Moscow, was unable to organize a successful defense of the capital and was forced to leave Moscow, while his ally, Dmitry Shemyaka, refused to come to the aid of his brother. This was the start of a new feudal war.
The beginning of the 40s turned out to be a difficult time for Rus'. A plague epidemic began, and the drought of 1442-44 led to mass famine. At the same time, attacks from the Kazan kingdom intensified. After the victory in 1445 over the Tatars on the river. Nerl, Vasily decided that they did not pose a threat. However, soon, the sons of Ulu-Muhammad led a huge army to Rus'.
Vasily marched against them and suffered an absolute disaster at Suzdal and was captured. The Tatars set a huge ransom of 25,000 rubles for Vasily. Sophia, the prince's mother, was forced to introduce new taxes in the capital in order to collect the required ransom. Also, a number of cities in the Volga region were given to the Tatars for plunder, on the site of which the Kasimov kingdom arose, where the sons of Ulu-Muhammad ruled.
After gaining freedom, Vasily went to the Sergius Trinity Monastery to pray for his salvation. At the same moment, Dmitry Shemyaka treacherously captured Moscow, and then ordered Vasily to be brought to him. He blinded him just as the Moscow prince blinded his brother. This is the answer to the question why Vasily the Dark received such a nickname. However, Shemyaka could not reign calmly on the grand-ducal throne, since the capital’s nobility did not want to see him as their ruler. Many nobles fled to neighboring Lithuania, intending to wait until Vasily regained the throne.
Under these conditions, Shemyaka decided to appease his cousin, gave him Vologda as his possession and sent him rich gifts. However, Vasily decided not to trust his treacherous brother. Having secured the support of the Tver prince, as well as the Lithuanians, the prince opposed Shemyaka. Frightened by this army, the usurper fled to Kargopol in 1447. Vasily again took the grand-ducal throne and freed his wife from captivity and returned his mother, who had been sent into exile.
The newly created prince decided to put an end to the problem of succession to the throne once and for all. He enlisted the support of Metropolitan Jonah, who at the council of bishops condemned the “sedition of the Yuryevichs” and ordered to pursue Shemyaka wherever possible. Ultimately, Dmitry was overtaken in Novgorod and poisoned. After the death of Shemyaka, Vasily the Dark dealt with his allies, taking away their allotments and annexing them to Moscow. Novgorod was forced to pay 8,500 rubles as compensation.
Vasily 2 Dark: domestic and foreign policy
With the accession of Vasily to the Moscow throne and the defeat of Shemyaka, the last feudal war in Russia and one of the last in Europe ended. Here it is important to determine why Vasily the Dark won. There are several reasons for this.
Firstly, Shemyaka’s cruelty and unscrupulousness did not correspond to Christian norms, which were of great importance in that era. The Dark One was perceived as a martyr, and Shemyaka as an apostate and fratricide. In addition, the nobility and ordinary people perceived Vasily as a guarantor of stability and unity of the state.
Secondly, Vasily was able to eliminate the specific separatism of the boyars. He confiscated the land holdings of the boyars who supported the rebellious princes. The boyars extremely valued their lands, so such a policy forced them to remain loyal to the grand ducal throne.
Thirdly, Vasily was able to strengthen the authority of the Orthodox Church and gain its support. This was facilitated by the fact that in 1439 the Byzantine patriarch signed a union with the Catholic Church. The Russian Orthodox Church rejected this document because it did not want to become dependent on the Pope. As a result, the metropolitan in Rus' began to be elected through a council of bishops, and not by decree of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Subsequently, Moscow became associated with the “Third Rome,” a bastion of genuine Orthodoxy. And the prince began to be perceived as a conductor of this idea to the broad masses. The first independent metropolitan in Rus' was Jonah, who supported Vasily in the fight against the rebels.
This determined the victory of Vasily the Dark in the civil strife and allowed him to continue strengthening the Moscow principality, begun by his ancestors. During the reign of Vasily the Dark, almost all the surrounding lands were annexed to Moscow (in 1454 - Mozhaisk, in 1456 - Uglich and others). Influence in the subordinate Yaroslavl and Vyatka principalities was strengthened. In the annexed fiefs, Moscow proteges were appointed, the Grand Duke's seal was installed, and coins of Vasily the Dark were minted.
The process of annexing the Novgorod Republic to Moscow began. After the defeat of Shemyaka and his Novgorod supporters, the Yazhelbitsky Peace Treaty was signed between the veche and Vasily II, according to which the independence of the Novgorod Republic was greatly limited. Now Novgorod could not conduct an independent foreign policy and issue its own laws, and the seals of Novgorod officials were replaced by the seal of the Moscow prince.
At the same time, Vasily resolved the issue of succession to the throne. His son Ivan was declared co-ruler of Vasily and direct heir to the Moscow throne. Thus, Vasily approved the direct order of succession to the throne “from father to son.”
As for foreign policy, two directions can be distinguished. The first is relations with Lithuania. In 1449, the Perpetual Peace was concluded with Lithuania, as a result of which both states renounced mutual territorial claims and pledged not to support internal political opponents. As for relations with the Horde, things were not so rosy. In the period from 1449 to 1459, the Horde repeatedly attacked Russian lands and plundered cities. The Russians managed to resist the attacks of the Kazan and Crimean Khanates with varying degrees of success. However, already in 1447 Vasily stopped sending tribute to the Tatar-Mongols.
Until now, Vasily 2, whose domestic and foreign policy was aimed at strengthening the Moscow principality and centralizing the lands around his inheritance, remains a controversial personality. Some researchers believe that he did not possess any political or military qualities, and his successes are the fruits of a fortunate combination of circumstances. Other historians are inclined to argue that Vasily II made a great contribution to strengthening the role of Moscow and consolidating the lands around it.
Grand Duke of Moscow.
Brief biography of Vasily the Dark
Vasily was the youngest son in the family. When his father died, the boy was only ten years old. Vasily could lay claim to the throne, but his position was precarious for several reasons:
- young age;
- presence of older children in the family;
- the will of the grandfather, who secured the right to the throne for Vasily’s uncle, Yuri Dmitrievich.
The decision who would take the throne depended on the Lithuanian prince Vytautas, who was the guardian of Vasily’s family after the death of his father. Thanks to the will of Vytautas and the word of Metropolitan Photius, a peace treaty was concluded between uncle and nephew in 1425, according to which Vasily the 2nd received the throne, and Yuri gave his word not to try to seize power by force.
However, in 1430, Prince Vitovt dies, and Yuri Vladimirovich, with the support of other princes, creates a coalition with which he opposes Vasily and his right to power. A struggle for the throne begins, which ends with Yuri seizing power and expelling Vasily 2nd from Moscow in 1433. Vasily receives only the title of Prince of Kolomna, along with him many of its inhabitants leave the city, refusing to serve Yuri.
After some time, Vasily gathered an army, drove Yuri out of Moscow and again became the Grand Duke. Subsequently, Vasily lost the throne several more times during feudal wars, but each time he regained power. As a result of another struggle for the throne, he was blinded by Prince Dmitry Shemyaka in 1446, for which he received the nickname Dark.
Vasily the 2nd Dark ruled from 1425 to 1462.
Foreign policy of Vasily 2nd
During the reign of Vasily 2nd, Rus' was dependent on two states - the Golden Horde and the Principality of Lithuania.
Relations with Lithuania
In 1426, the Lithuanian prince Vytautas invaded the territory of Rus' and tried to capture Pskov, but his campaign was unsuccessful. After the defeat, Vitovt tried to conclude an agreement with Pskov. Vasily at that time was a political ally of Pskov and decided to take advantage of the situation and try to soften the terms of peace with Lithuania, but also did not achieve any success in the negotiations.
Relations with Novgorod
Vasily had a difficult relationship with Novgorod. In 1435-1436 Vasily tried to normalize relations with the son of his uncle Vasily Kosy, who then ruled in Novgorod. In order to avoid unnecessary clashes, Vasily the 2nd gave Novgorod part of his lands and made a number of obligations, which he soon abandoned when his rival was defeated. In 1347, Novgorod not only did not receive what was promised, but was also forced to pay a huge tax to Moscow.
In 1440, Vasily again launched a campaign against Novgorod in response to the fact that the Novgorodians had entered into an alliance with Lithuania. Novgorod was again defeated and in 1441 concluded a peace treaty with Moscow and again paid a huge tribute.
In 1449, Vasily concluded peace treaties with the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the Polish king.
In 1456, the final victory was won over Novgorod, the latter recognized its dependence on Moscow.
Relations with the Horde
Vasily also had a difficult relationship with. Vasily tried to defend the independence of Rus' from the Mongol-Tatar yoke and constantly made campaigns against the Horde and its khans.
In 1437, Vasily the 2nd sent troops to the city of Belev. The Russian army defeats the Tatars and forces them to negotiate, but the Russian governors break off the negotiations, relying on their own strength, and ultimately suffer a terrible defeat from the Tatars.
In 1439, the Tatars, inspired by their success in Belev, approached Moscow. Vasily leaves the city, leaving governor Yuri Patrikeevich in charge. However, the Tatars fail to take Moscow.
Until 1443, the Mongol-Tatars constantly raided Russian lands, ravaging and destroying them.
In 1444, a fierce struggle for Nizhny Novgorod unfolded between the Tatar Khan and Vasily 2nd. The Horde manages to capture the city, but not for long; soon Vasily returns Novgorod to the rule of Moscow.
In 1445, Vasily was captured by the Tatars, but very soon he was ransomed and returned to Moscow.
In general, foreign and domestic policies, as well as all the activities of Vasily the 2nd Dark, were aimed at unifying the lands and subordinating as large territories as possible to the power of Moscow and the Grand Duke of Moscow.
Results of the reign of Vasily 2nd
- Vasily strengthened the grand ducal power and united the territories around Moscow.
- The Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod, Novgorod, Pskov principalities and Vyatka land became dependent on Moscow.
- Under Vasily, the first Russian bishop, John, was elected, and was ordained a metropolitan by a council of Russian bishops. This marked the beginning of the independent Russian Orthodox Church.
Vasily the 2nd Dark died in 1462, he suffered from tuberculosis and gangrene. After the death of the sovereign, his son ascended the throne.
"An eye for an eye"
The grandson of Dmitry Donskoy, Vasily II, ascended the Moscow throne in 1425, at the age of ten. But his uncle, Prince of Galicia and Zvenigorod Yuri Dmitrievich, did not want to recognize his nephew as the senior prince. The struggle between them went on for many years. In 1434, Yuri nevertheless occupied Moscow, but soon died. His sons - Vasily Kosoy and Dmitry Shemyaka - failed to retain the great reign. In 1436, Vasily II captured Vasily Kosoy and ordered him to be blinded. Dmitry Shemyaka calmed down for a while, but harbored revenge in his soul.
He had to wait a long time. Only 9 years later, in 1445, Shemyaka finally had an opportunity to take revenge on Vasily II. At this time, a small army of Kazan Tatars - about three and a half thousand sabers - attacked the Vladimir-Suzdal lands. Vasily II recklessly attacked the enemy, having only one and a half thousand soldiers at hand. In the battle near Suzdal, the Grand Duke showed miracles of courage, receiving many wounds. Despite this, the Moscow army was defeated, and Vasily II himself was captured. However, the Tatars themselves did not expect such success and simply did not know what to do with their victory. After dragging Vasily II with them for several months, they finally released him for a fabulous ransom at that time - 200 thousand rubles.
However, these few months played a fatal role in the fate of Vasily II. Taking advantage of his absence, Dmitry Shemyaka suddenly burst into Moscow, captured the family of the Grand Duke, and the next year captured him himself. For Vasily II, the day of judgment came. By order of Shemyaka, both eyes were gouged out and imprisoned in Uglich. Since then, Vasily II has been given the nickname Dark, that is, blind.
Shemyaka's reign in Moscow left behind a painful memory. From now on, the expression “Shemyakin court” became synonymous with unjust court in Rus'. In the end, Shemyaka had to flee from Moscow to Novgorod. But the hand of the Moscow prince overtook him there too. In 1453, the cook Shemyaki, bribed by the people of Vasily II, fed his master poisoned chicken. Thus ended the most debilitating civil strife in the Moscow state, which lasted almost 30 years.
The Awake Sovereign
Although the Moscow Prince Vasily II Vasilyevich was nicknamed the Dark One, he saw some things better than his sighted contemporaries. This was especially evident in the case of the union of the Eastern and Western churches, when the Moscow boyars and bishops almost slept through the Orthodox faith.
The main events initially unfolded far from the Russian land - in Byzantium and Italy. At the beginning of the 15th century, the Byzantine Empire was on the verge of destruction. Strictly speaking, it was no longer an empire, but a miserable piece of land around Constantinople. However, the Ottoman Turks were ready to absorb this last stronghold of the once great power. To ward off the Turkish threat from Byzantium, Emperor John VIII Palaiologos turned to Pope Eugene IV with a proposal to organize a pan-European crusade against the Turks. The pope promised to support the emperor, but on the condition that the Orthodox Church submit to the Roman throne. Politics prevailed over religious feelings, and John VIII gave in to the pope's demands. However, such a matter required the consent of all Orthodox dioceses. And so, in 1438, a church council met in Florence, to which church hierarchs of Orthodox countries, including Rus', were invited.
The Metropolitan of All Rus' at that time was the Greek Isidore, since the Russian Church was still formally subordinate to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Isidore led a large Moscow delegation that arrived in Florence along the winter route on two hundred sleighs. Being a subject of the Byzantine emperor, Isidore did not even think of defending the interests of the Russian Church at the Council of Florence. Fulfilling the wishes of John VIII, he announced on her behalf annexation to Rome and assured the pope that upon returning to Moscow he would easily settle all formalities. “Russian bishops are ignorant,” said Isidore, “but the Grand Duke is young and at my mercy.”
And in fact, when Isidore announced in Moscow the final unification of the Eastern and Western churches, he did not encounter much resistance from the Moscow boyars and clergy. The theological aspects of the question brought boredom and drowsiness to everyone. The chronicler innocently reports that the boyars and bishops “all kept silent and dozed off and fell asleep.” Only Vasily II did not sleep. Understanding perfectly well what Isidore was driving at, the Grand Duke publicly called the Metropolitan a heretic and false teacher and ordered him to be imprisoned in the Chudov Monastery. Then the boyars and the clergy came to their senses. “We were dozing,” they repented before Vasily, “and you, the sovereign, alone stayed awake, discovered the truth, saved the faith.”
Thus, Rus' avoided the danger of becoming an ecclesiastical appendage of Rome and retained its spiritual identity. At the same time, Isidore’s betrayal served as a reason to end Rus'’s ecclesiastical dependence on the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Bishop Jonah of Ryazan, Russian by nationality, was elected the new Russian metropolitan. From then on, the Russian Church became an independent, autocephalous diocese.
"Skorotatarshchina"
During the reign of Vasily II the Dark, Moscow again saw the Tatars under its walls. This Tatar raid of 1451 received the name “fast Tatarism” in ancient Russian literature, because it ended as suddenly as it began.
This time Vasily II was well prepared for the attack, setting up a barrier on the Oka. However, the Moscow governor, who was placed at the head of the defense, was afraid of the Tatar hordes and cleared the river bank. Without encountering resistance, the Tatars under the command of Tsarevich Mazovsha rushed to Moscow and early in the morning on Friday, June 3, appeared under its walls. There was a drought, so when the Tatars set fire to the wooden Moscow suburbs, the fire immediately engulfed the stone Kremlin from all sides. Smoke covered the entire city, making it difficult to see the enemy's preparations. The enemy approached the city gates and weak areas of the city fortifications, where stone walls had not yet been erected. But Muscovites successfully repelled attacks everywhere. When the settlements surrounding the Kremlin burned down and it became finally possible to take a deep breath, the defenders of Moscow began to make forays here and there. By dusk, the Tatars retreated from Moscow, and the townspeople began hastily preparing for tomorrow's battle, putting in order their cannons, rifles, bows, shields and other weapons.
Great was their amazement and joy when the next morning it was discovered that the Tatars had suddenly fled. In the empty Tatar camp, looted items and heavy objects made of iron and copper were lying around. Apparently, Mazowsza was convinced that it was useless to besiege a strong city with a large garrison and left, abandoning everything that could slow down the rapid retreat.
The list of Moscow disasters of the 14th-15th centuries ends with the imminent Tatar war. Fires continued to devastate Moscow, and the Tatars threatened it again in 1480. However, from the second half of the 15th century, a new growth of the Moscow state began, associated with the name of the unifier of Rus' - Ivan III Vasilyevich.
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